Fertilizers are any solid, liquid or gaseous substances containing one or more plant nutrients.

They are either applied to the soil, directly on the plant (foliage) or added to aqueous solutions, in order to maintain soil fertility, improve crop development, yield and/or crop quality.

The purpose of fertilizers is to supplement the natural supply of soil nutrient, build up soil fertility in order to satisfy the demand of crops with a high yield potential and to compensate for the nutrients taken by harvested products or lost by unavoidable leakages to the environment, in order to maintain good soil conditions for cropping.

Bio-fertilizers are organic formulations having live microbial organisms. They are capable of providing essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphate, potash, zinc, sulfur and select micronutrients to the plants. Bio-fertilizers do not contain chemical ingredients. They are natural, organic and environmentally friendly. Bio-fertilizers reduce the over-dependence on chemical fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers appear to increase the plant growth and yield but they significantly decrease the soil, animal and human health. WHO reports a higher incidence of cervical cancers where the water is contaminated with chemical nitrogen. Importantly, the sudden lush growth in the plant due to chemical fertilizer application attracts more pests and diseases. The ever depleting petroleum resources, the raw material for select chemical fertilizers, also burden the Government and farming community for alternative cost-effective resources.